Saint-Aubin chapel

Inaugurated in 1954, the Chapelle Saint-Aubin houses a spring whose water is thought to have many virtues.

During World War II (1939-1945), the inhabitants of Manson, fearing for their village, promised to build a chapel if their village was spared. Their wish was granted and the work began in 1952, on the site of an older building of which only vestiges of the foundations remained in the early 20th century. The new chapel was inaugurated in 1954. The villagers took the statue of Saint Aubin there from the church in Manson. The statue was then placed in a niche above the outlet of the spring known as “Chabana” or “Chabanat”, which flows inside the chapel.

Its water is thought to have many virtues, including the ability to cure eye diseases. A legend recounts that thieves entering the chapel to steal the offerings suddenly went blind. They didn’t recover their sight until they had repented. This is thought to be the origin of the old French adage “Saint Aubin gives sight and takes it away”. The spring water, downhill from the chapel, supplies a drinking trough with several vats for migrating cattle herds.

The frescoes inside the chapel were created by André Siramy in 1954. They illustrate the legends related to this site. Beneath the vault, an archangel endows Saint Aubin with miraculous powers. On the left the saint is curing the blind. On the right he is freeing prisoners, reminding us that the men of Manson, imprisoned during World War II, returned safe and sound. The original frescoes were damaged by humidity and renovated between 2013 and 2015.